Hi Jon et al: I charge most of my institutional work at my regular hourly rate, which now happens to be $58.00. If I go tune a single piano for a concert, I charge my tuning fee. I have negotiated with each institution for the number of hours per month that I think it will take to maintain the pianos, whatever that will mean for their situation. I hate having to "mother may I" each time something needs attention. I try to alert them to upcoming large expenses a year in advance. They don't always respond as fast as I would like, but at least I know they have been forewarned. I then do whatever is needed, as it comes up. If the weather turns bad early, like it did this year, I tune as much as is necessary, and then ease off when the weather moderates. I usually spend close to an hour tuning each piano, though most of the time that is two passes with the Verituner- a tool I cannot recommend highly enough! I tell the institutions I need an average of 1 1/4 hours, so I have extra time to check pedals, some regulation and voicing, or emergency repairs. Since I do multiple pianos when I am at an institution, I don't have much travel time in between pianos, but I am covered if they make me wait a bit to get at a piano. It works out to about the same amount I would make if I was tuning private pianos, but driving in between, and I enjoy it. I was a music major once- I remember practice rooms all too well. There is one major exception. I charge Lyric Opera a per piano fee for every piano, and then everything else on an a la carte basis. It wasn't my choice, though I make more money that way. Their business office couldn't understand why some pianos took longer to tune than others, so I might tune four pianos one day and six another. A consistent rate per piano meant more to them than a bargain, so I just do everything they ever think to ask me to do, as payback. --- David Graham <dcgrpt@earthlink.net>
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